After ousting the point and shoot cameras with smartphones as the default photography tool for casual photographers, phone makers are making strides to reach the next level. For this, they are adding features seen in high-end cameras and taking help of professional camera makers. For example, Huawei got German camera company Leica on board to improve the camera algorithms, while Asus is using dual cameras to offer higher optical zoom in smartphones.

The good news is that you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a smartphone with a high-quality camera. Here are some of the best camera smartphones below Rs30,000.

Honor 8 Pro comes with two 12-megapixel cameras powered by Sony’s IMX286 sensors with an aperture of f/2.2.

Honor 8 Pro

Rs29,990

Honor 8 Pro comes with two 12-megapixel cameras powered by Sony’s IMX286 sensors with an aperture of f/2.2. It works on the same principle as the more expensive Huawei P9. One camera takes shots in monochrome, while the other captures shots in RGB and then combines them to deliver richer high-quality shots. It allows users to manually adjust depth of filed-in images after taking the shots. It supports laser auto-focus and can record 4K (3,840x2,460p) videos. Photographs look well detailed even in low light and colours look natural throughout. Honor 8 Pro is powered by Kirin 960 octa-core processor and is one of the few smartphones which offers 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage at this price point. It is 6.9mm thick, packs in a 4,000mAh battery and has a 5.7-inch 2k (2,560x1,440p) display.

Asus ZenFone Zoom S

Rs26,999

Successor to the Asus ZenFone Zoom, the new smartphone is a lot more compact and slim, yet offers 2.3x optical zoom, which is more than what some of the more expensive smartphones such as OnePlus 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S8 offer. The ZenFone Zoom S is powered by two 12-megapixel cameras where one camera uses a Sony IMX362 sensor, supports wide-angle photos and has an aperture of f/1.7, while the other camera offers 2.3x optical zoom//chk. It is one of the few smartphones that offer optical image stabilisation at this price. The camera impresses with its colour reproduction and contrast levels. The level of detailing is good even in indoor shots. The smartphone’s other attributes include a 5.5-inch (1,920x1,080p) display with Gorilla Glass 5 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor, which has been paired with 4GB RAM.

Micromax Dual 5 is powerful and offers various security features, but the feature which impressed us most is the camera.

Micromax Dual 5

Rs24,999

Micromax Dual 5 is quite a leap for the phonemaker in many ways. It is powerful and offers various security features, but the feature which impressed us most is the camera. It has two 13-megapixel cameras which are powered by Sony IMX258 sensors and have an aperture of f/2.0. The two cameras capture monochrome and RGB separately and then use the camera algorithm to combine them and produce sharp and rich looking shots, especially in outdoor conditions. It can muster a lot of detail even in low-light shots. It can also record 4K videos. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor, has 4GB RAM and offers 128GB storage.

The Nubia Z17 Mini is one of the best options if you are looking for a high-quality camera smartphone below Rs20,000.

Nubia Z17 Mini

Rs19,999

If you are looking for a high-quality camera smartphone below Rs20,000, the Nubia Z17 Mini is one of the best options out there. It packs in two 13-megapixel cameras driven by Sony’s IMX258 sensor with aperture of f/2.2. It comes with sapphire glass lens to protect the camera against scratches. It gives the option to blur background in images and offers plenty of rare camera modes and features such as Star Track, DNG, 3D macro, multi-exposure, 3D shots and time lapse, which you don’t get on similarly priced rivals. The camera impresses in daytime shots and captured details and colours very well. The Z17 Mini is driven by Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor with 4GB RAM and offers a 5.2-imnch display with resolution of 1,920x1,080p.